PSG sporting director Luis Campos has been criticised after citing the Hillsborough anniversary as the reason Liverpool couldn't play their Champions League quarter-final on April 15
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Luis Campos faces criticism for proposing to postpone their Ligue 1 match against Lens due to the impact of the Hillsborough anniversary.
Ultimately The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) unanimously approved the request after a board meeting of its directors on Thursday, giving them a week between their Champions League quarter-final ties against Liverpool.
PSG and Strasbourg are the only two French clubs still in UEFA competitions. Campos claimed postponing his club's fixture would benefit French football.
They initially wanted to play on 15 April. However, he said Liverpool cannot do so because of the Hillsborough anniversary.
Campos told French radio station RMC: "At first, we would have liked to play the UCL on Tuesday (7 April), then on Wednesday (15 April). But Liverpool can't play on 15 April, we had to respect their history, because it's a tragic date for the club."
He added: "PSG's position is very clear and the fruit of a great reflection by all of us for the advantages and disadvantages that it brings. Not only to PSG but to French football."
The 15th of April will mark the 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster – the unlawful killing of 97 Liverpool supporters in 1989.
The two matches are now due to take place on Wednesday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 14.
Reach PLC have reached out to Liverpool for a response.
Liverpool fans online have criticised Campos's remarks. One stated: "Using Hillsborough as an excuse to try and rearrange your Ligue 1 fixture is deplorable. Respect our history by not dragging this tragic event into pathetic football politics and milking it for domestic advantage."
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, the same fan also noted how the Reds are due to play against Fulham in the Premier League at Anfield at 5.30pm on April 11 – the same date as when PSG's match with Lens was originally due to take place.
The All Things Liverpool account added: "Did PSG just use Hillsborough as an excuse to try and get the Lens game postponed?.... No, that can't be right..."
Meanwhile, others labelled the comments as "astonishing" and "disgusting".
Liverpool have not played on April 15 since the disaster, with their last match on that day being in 1978, over a decade before the events of Hillsborough.
Kenny Dalglish addressed the subject during his second spell as Liverpool manager in 2012. The club were due to play their FA Cup semi-final against Everton over the weekend of the 14 and 15 April.
Dalglish said: "I don't think it's even worth a line in a paper that we might play on the 15th because we won't. We've never played on the 15th before, have we? So there you are. Why would they change now?"